Heidelberg with Casey...

One of our very first day trips after arriving to Germany last June was toHeidelberg. We were fresh off the plane from the states and eager to get exploring the country we were going to call home for the next 3 years. I had my Rick Steves guidebook (bible) in hand and out the hotel door we went...completely on our own. No tour guide, big language barrier, and the fear of the unknown practically plagued our day there. Needless to say, I was on edge the whole time. I didn't really enjoy our first trip to Heidelberg to the absolute fullest. So, when our good friends who just PCSed here asked us to join them on their first trip to Heidelberg, we couldn't say no! I desperately needed a re-do!

Instead of heading straight to the famous castle, we took some time to walk around Heidelberg a bit...just taking in the sights, the sounds, and the ambiance of this history packed town along the River Neckar.

Before going on any day trip around Germany, I often consult a myriad of travel books and tourist review websites...most notably my beloved Rick Steves books and TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor has excellent lists of "Things to Do" in any given city around the world. Not to mention, each attraction is given a rank based on traveler reviews. Brilliant, right? That's how I stumbled upon the Bergbahn Funicular that takes you on a train ride up one of the tallest hills in Heidelburg. It makes 3 stops...one at the entrance to Heidelberg Schloss (castle), one at some other lookout point (obviously we didn't explore that stop), and one at the Königstuhl (the King's Chair) located at the tippy top of the hill. Of course, we picked the windiest day to ride all the way to the top. We froze our bums off, but were rewarded with a birds eye view of Heidelberg. Did I mention the funicular to the top was like the cutest little wooden train I'd ever seen? Darling, I tell ya.

This city is so charming! These pictures are great and make it so inviting. It's too bad we won't be visiting this part of Germany this summer. I'm with you...I don't leave for Europe without my Rick Steve's guide :)